We had to make our decision to move to Sweden within 24 hours, and part of me hopes that the actual move would have been a shotgun move as well. There is nothing worse than waiting, and moving forward slowly and not knowing what comes ahead. The uncertain times still continue, and truth to be told, it has been tough, especially after my husband left.

I’ve tortured my friends with updates like “we didn’t get the house we wanted, will be homeless in Sweden soon”, and complained how hard it is to leave the US, or how sad it is to give away our dog and how people who say they’ll buy your things from Craig’s List don’t show up, and how it breaks my heart to see my kids’ friends and teachers hosting them farewell parties and how much I know they will be missed and they will miss their friends.

Part of me feels like I have to dwell on the bad parts of this move too. I have to carpe the shit out of diem of the crappy days too – or how else the good moments ever felt so good, if tough times weren’t meant to feel tough too?

It’s OK if it’s tough

My mother-in-law said to me (halfly joking, I hope) that part of her is happy that we are having rough time moving out of the US, because it sure is hard for her to see us go. And I get it. We are super excited about the move, can’t wait to live in Europe, and every day I see so many things around me that make me think “thank God we are moving to Sweden.” But how would people around me feel, if I mentioned these all the time? I think it is important for our family and friends to see too the real struggles we go through too, and the reality without sugarcoating it.

We talk about things we will miss and things we won’t miss with the kids all the time. I tell them more about Europe, they are too young to remember much from when we lived there and have visited the last times. I want them soak every single thing they love about Beacon, New York, were we live, and I want them to remember the things we don’t like here either. I’ve learned so much about my children this way. If we had only focused on the positive sides and how wonderful everything will be, I would have missed a huge opportunity to teach my children about life, and I would have missed an opportunity to get to know them better.

The things we won’t miss…

In one of the pictures my youngest drew was a Walmart with its big parking lot, and McDonalds on the other side, a sushi restaurant on the other side. The Walmart and the McDonalds parking lots were empty and the sushi restaurants parking lot was full. I asked what he thought when we drew the picture, he said “I don’t like McDonalds and Walmart, and maybe other people will learn to like the sushi place more too.” It reminded me of the lunch date in the school cafeteria earlier this school year with him. It was the lunch with parents day, and I had brought in a healthy lunch for him, and the parent sitting in the same table had brought a Happy Meal for her child. The principal of the school walks by and says “lucky you, you got a Happy Meal” for the kid with french fries, soda and chicken nuggets. My son’s face was stunned. How could the principle say “lucky you,” didn’t she know McDonalds food was unhealthy? My then 8-year old whispered to me he was the lucky one to get the healthy lunch and gave me a hug.

I understand that many things frustrate the kids too, and I know they will flourish in Europe. I know this is the right decision for our family. But still, knowing all this, it’s still not easy to hug your best friends, say good byes, get rid of everything you own, give away your dog and pack up and go.

Living in the moment

I don’t allow myself to think that a week from today I will be on our stopover in Iceland soaking my tired mind and body in Blue Lagoon hot springs. It will be amazing journey. But now, I still have to scrub a New York apartment, say farewell for our family pet who can’t come to Sweden with us, sell my car and pack everything. And I am taking every moment in as it comes.

We visited family in Texas during the Holidays, and got to see our extended family and friends, and eat our bellies full of Southern comfort food (I had my first ever fried pork chop, who knew you could even get pork chops fried?) and Tex-Mex (Chuy’s and Pappasitos, hello!).

It was a bitter sweet trip.. It was so wonderful to see family, and kids had a chance to see their second cousins shortly, and we saw grandparents and great-grandmother and visited the Presnal family ranch and saw the horses and enjoyed spending time with the family and what Texas is all about. But we couldn’t help but think the upcoming move to Europe, and the missed opportunities in the past and in the future of not spending enough time with the large family we have in Texas. While we love our nomadic lifestyle; the gypsy-style moving around, traveling and experiencing life like not many get to do, it does come with missed opportunities to spend time with family. It especially gets tricky when our families are on the other sides of the world, my husband’s in Texas, and mine in Finland.

For a few days, we enjoyed our family time in Texas and said our farewells to many loved ones as we are once again moving out of the country. Some of the distant family we had seen the last time on a family celebration of us moving back to the US, ten years ago. Time goes fast, and this trip was a grand reminder of that.

To me it doesn’t feel like Christmas without snow and cold, but there still isn’t snow in New York, so it wasn’t like we missed out on an amazing winter wonderland. In fact, we visited Santa’s Wonderland in College Station, and it was cold as New York and the hot cocoa and the outdoor fireplace were spot on.

Kris gave a test ride for a mechanical bull, and we all took the hayride through the Christmas lights galore of the Santa’s Wonderland. I wasn’t too big of a fan of the lights parade and the overpowering amount of Christmas lights seemed too Las Vegas to me, but I loved the Santa’s village, Texas style. Well, I liked the Texan village of cowboy hat stores, S’mores and hot dogs by the outdoor fireplace, country music playing and the true Western experience. To me it had very little to do with Christmas, there were no reindeer sightings nor rice porridge, but it was great to experience Christmas, the Texas way.

The best of it all – to spend time with loved ones, who make even me feel like Texas is home, even though I haven’t lived there for more than a few months.

After the initial shock when we told our children we are moving to Sweden, they immediately knew what to do. They know the drill, and they started getting ready for move sooner than we did. We still had our everyday work to go to, clients to take care of, blog posts to write. Life didn’t and couldn’t change in an instant. While our children still had their school play to get ready for, homework to do and their everyday chores to take care of, they were able to get started with the physical process of moving immediately.

Start Traveling With Children When They Are Young – It Will Become a Second Nature

Children are so adaptive, or maybe it is just our children, the nomads of the world, who have been dragged around the world since they were mere weeks old, and who got passports under the age of two weeks and all traveled to other countries under the age of two months.

I always say to parents, don’t wait traveling with your children until they “get older and it gets easier”. No. It gets easier when they are older because they are used to it, not because they are older. Look at two adults, one who never travels and one who travels constantly – traveling is easier for the one with traveling experience, not for the one who is older.
Age doesn’t have anything to do with it.

A few days after we told our children about the move to Sweden I walk into their room and find an enormous mess.
Toys, clothes, books… everywhere.

Before I even say a word, my oldest daughter jumps in and says “I know, I know, it’s messy. But the plastic bags are things we are throwing away, the paper bags are filled with things we can donate or sell and the plastic bins and stuff still in the closet are things we want to keep”.

A few days ago this beautiful creature looked at me with her gorgeous eyes with a look that could have killed because she was so upset we were taking her away from New York. Today she is already organizing everything she and her sister and brother own and already packing for the move.
And we don’t even know when we are moving.
And I have barely even started yet.

Nomadic life with children can be easy. Because they learn to adapt, they learn to put things in perspective (and understand why we can not move that big Barbie house and they don’t even ask if they could) and they learn to prioritize and see what’s really important in life.

In this week: first day of summer and first day of summer vacation for kids.
Here are some great summer survival links for mom on the go.

How to Make Your Dreams Come True at Champagne Living is a great post with tips how to live life to the fullest and how it takes small steps to ultimately achieve your dreams. Read the tips and start making your summer dreams come true stat!

The real price of quality of life is a great post on the Family on Bikes blog where Nancy writes about their family’s dream; the want of staying put after traveling around the world, but what is preventing them from living life to the fullest right now is… health insurance. I think many of us can relate.

Five Essential Summer Tasks With Kids at the Family Focus Blog has great tips how to make a summer schedule for kids.

How to Prepare Your Child (and yourself) for Sleepaway Camp at Role Mommy is a must read if your kiddo is going to a sleep away camp this summer. You’ll get simple tips plus you’ll hear the story from the other side, directly from the summer camp directors of Maine.

106.7 Lite FM presents Broadway in Bryant Park is a must read post at Prissy Reviews if you live in the NYC or are planning on visiting New York City between July 7th to August 11th. Local radio station offers free live Broadway musical performances at Bryant Park on one hour lunch performances on summer Thursdays 12:30-1:30. See the entire program by clicking the link.

JetBlue & PBS Kids Launch In-Flight Literacy Program For Traveling Kids reports Child Mode. JetBlue will give a free activity kit for kids flying with them with reading games based on PBS KIDS educational programming this summer. How cool is that?

Coffee: The World’s Greatest Addiction is a random must see video at The Luxury Spot if you are a coffeeholic like me. I blame my Finnish roots (an average Finn drinks 3 times more coffee a day than an average American). And I don’t care how hot this summer already is – I will be drinking hot coffee all summer long. Ice ain’t gonna dilute my lattes.

Do you know Amy Tara Koch? She is a former trend reporter for NBC, and author of Bump it Up, a fun and practical book about looking at your best during pregnancy. She is stylish and funny, and I pretty much wanna be her best friend. But closest to hanging out with Amy – I had an opportunity to interview her via phone, but she was so nice that she sent me this video of the interview. We talked about traveling with the kids, and the little tricks and tips what make it easier – and more fun! Check it out:

PS. I will be traveling to Killington, Vermont with the kids this weekend to ski and then taking a girls trip to Bahamas on a new Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Dream next week with one of my best friends, can’t wait to start this year’s traveling already this month!

Vote now at 5LittleElves.com.

Hotel chain Radisson Blu is hosting The Greatest Holiday In The World contest where anyone could win 365 hotel nights to be used anywhere is the world in the chain’s locations. Pretty cool, huh?

But just anyone isn’t very, very close to winning the entire contest.

My Icelandic friends Inga Rós Antoniusdottir of and her husband Hjörtur Smárason of Raving Ravens and Marketing Safari are currently holding the 1st place out of over eleven thousand participants, wanting to take their 5 Little Elves to see the world, and the contests ends in less than 24 hours.

They are so close to winning, all what they need is YOUR VOTE to make sure they get there in the next 16 hours. Please help us to give an amazing family a possibility of a lifetime and vote at 5LittleElves.com. Voting is super easy, no sign up, you can either vote with typing a verification word or by connecting with Facebook, it will take you less than 10 seconds.

Happy 4th of July!

We visited Boston this weekend, and I couldn’t have thought of a more patriotic place to visit. Truly an amazing city, so historic, and full of European flair. We did the Freedom Trail and walked through the city and spotted all historic places of the Colonial Revolutionary Boston. Instead of a yellow brick line, we followed a red line through-out the city, and saw the history books come alive. Ironically this was supposed to be a very patriotic day to celebrate the 4th of July weekend, but the Irish and Italian influence in the city, and not to mention the Finnish style boardwalks and marinas of Boston, made me fall in love with Boston’s European side. Over all, Massachusetts is the best of my two worlds – Europe and the USA, and maybe I will get to live there one day. Now – just visiting and enjoying every moment of it.

Happy Wedding Anniversary to me and my hubby!

We’ve been married 12 years today, and I couldn’t be happier and more in love with my husband Matt. If you want to read more about our journey together – read the anniversary post from last year – and like last year, no old wedding pictures, and not even old honey moon pictures. We really didn’t care for wedding or honey moon, we just cared about each others. Well, we did go for a sort-of-honey-moon, we spent a long weekend at Panama City Beach in Florida with my new in-laws eating shrimp and swimming in the ocean.

Today we are on our way to our second sort-of-honey-moon to beaches of Massachusetts, to Rockport. We still don’t really care for weddings or honey moons, just about each others and our family. This time three kids in a row, and yes, the in-laws too, and the in-laws have grown with a new member since my sister-in-law got married two years ago. I will be still working, so I am thankful that the family crew is coming with us. Nothing beats family gatherings, and since we live so far from both of our families, we enjoy the vacations together. I’m super excited!

You can follow our trip via Whrrl. I will be working, eating shrimp and swimming in the ocean. And hopefully taking lots of photos.

Did you know that the American Association of School Administrators predicts that over 30,000 schools are eliminating field trips?

Field trips are such an important part of education; it’s not just a fun day off school (how my kids see field trips) but a different way to learn in a fun environment and usually in much more hands-on-way.

Oscar MayerLunchables recently announced a campaign to get more kids to go on educational and inspiring field trip adventures. The campaign is called “Field Trips for All,” and they will send 50 classrooms for field trips. Anyone can nominate a classroom to win a field trip through June 1.

WIN A FAMILY FIELD TRIP TO MET IN NYC

One of our family’s favorite places to go with kids in New York City is the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and we do “family field trips” there and other NYC museums. There is so much to see, and you can do so many trips to MET, and there is always see something new – or something in a new light.

This summer the Tutankhamun’s Funeral exhibition is one of the most exiting ones for kids to see – even though no mummies here, which my kids would have loved to see. The Knights in Central Park exhibition is another cool one for kids to see – this exhibit is full of armoire in the Arms and Armor gallery, and especially boys love it.

Lunchables wanted to give our family the opportunity to go on a field trip to one of our favorite places, the MET, and they are also giving you the chance to enjoy a day at MET with your family. Enter to win a day trip to Metropolitan Museum of Art with my family on 12th or 19th of June (or on the day of your choice just for your family). The MET field trip includes tickets to MET for your family, and lunch. NOTE: no transportation to the location in New York City.

GIVEAWAY
ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:
1. Comment here which “field trip” or family day trip place is your favorite. Leave a way for me to contact you in case you win.
FOR EXTRA ENTRY:
2. Like Skimbaco Lifestyle at Facebook.

GIVEAWAY ENDS: May 15th Midnight EST.

PS. Kennedy Space Center is an amazing family day trip or field trip place – print out this coupon for your visit this summer.

Looking for something fun to do with the kids the upcoming weekend(s) in New York City? Check out these two shows with discounted ticket prices.

Nickelodeon’s Storytime Live is playing now until April 4th at Radio City Music Hall. Great show for the little ones in the family and now you can save 30% on select tickets. Use discount code: STORYSM and get your tickets at RadioCity.com


The dogs are making their way in the big city! The 101 Dalmatians Musical will play during April 7-18th at The Theater at Madison Square Garden! Order tickets now and you’ll get this exclusive ticket discount offer and you can get 25% off on tickets following this link